Just as the rupee and the stock markets were being hammered on Tuesday, finance minister P Chidambaram, stoic, cool, stately and always ready with a plan, doled out a 10-pointer to get India's economy going again.

Here's his 10-point plan:

1. Reduce fiscal deficit by controlling expenditure (never mind the food security bill, which adds Rs 100,000 crore to the deficit.... Sonia-ji has ordained that he should find the money to feed the poor, even if its money he doesn't have).

2. Rein in the current account deficit.

3. Shore up the foreign exchange reserves.

4. Revive the investment cycle.

5. Speed up the capital expenditure plans of state-owned companies.

6. Re-capitalise state-owned banks.

7. Leverage the good monsoon.

8. Encourage manufacturing.

9. Boost exports.

10. Resolve land and environment issues holding up coal production to kickstart stalled steel and power projects.

I have just one question against his 10 pre-given answers: What has he been doing all this while, when does he plan to implement the plan. In short, when is the mahurat shot, sir?